Changes to upholstered seating disposal at Household Waste Recycling Centres

Due to changes in Environment Agency legislation, waste upholstered domestic seating will now only be accepted at Chester, Ellesmere Port and Winsford Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs or “tips”).

It will no longer be accepted at Frodsham, Neston, Northwich and Tattenhall HWRCs from Monday 6 January 2025.

Waste upholstered domestic seating includes:

• Sofas, sofa beds and armchairs.
• Upholstered kitchen and dining room chairs.
• Home office chairs.
• Upholstered stools and footstools.
• Bean bags, floor or sofa cushions, including garden furniture cushions
• Futons

This also includes any part made of or containing leather, synthetic leather, other fabric, or foam.

These changes are because these items often contain Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). POPs are chemical substances often used as fire retardants. Items that often contain POPs generally include upholstered items, particularly older ones. The Environment Agency now require councils to handle and dispose of these items in a special way to ensure they are not released into the environment. It is likely that other items could be included in the legislation in the future.

Councils must collect and store the waste in a way that prevents damage to the items that may release POPs and contaminate other waste. Such items must be kept separate from other waste and recycling streams and then be destroyed at an incinerator authorised to accept POPs waste.

As a result, these items must only go into the correct, designated skips at Chester, Ellesmere Port and Winsford HWRCs. They must not be mixed with any other waste once you arrive on sites.

Items should be kept whole where possible. Any damaged parts must be kept contained (any tears must be taped up, or the damaged item must be covered in plastic sheeting). This will help to minimise the risk of textiles or foam escaping into the environment.

The regulations only affect these items once they become waste. It may still be possible to donate good quality domestic seating for re-use through charity organisations or re-use shops at Chester, Ellesmere Port and Winsford HWRCs. Any upholstered domestic seating items that you would like to donate for re-use can still be passed to site staff at these HWRCs, provided the item is not damaged (beyond minor repair) and has a fire safety label attached.

The Council’s bulky item collection service will continue to accept domestic seating. If you have more than one item to collect, we will have to collect the waste containing POPs separately to other items. We will collect them at different times but on the same day the collection has been arranged for.

Cllr Karen Shore, Deputy Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council and Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport & Highways, said:

“Recycling and disposing of waste safely is the Council’s key consideration. These changes are necessary to comply with Environment Agency regulation but more importantly to ensure that all of our waste can continue to be disposed of in a safe way for the environment.

“Unfortunately, due to the size and layout of these sites, upholstered seating can no longer be accepted at Frodsham, Neston, Northwich and Tattenhall HWRCs. We encourage residents to visit our other sites in Chester, Ellesmere Port and Winsford to dispose or donate these items for re-use. Residents can also arrange for our bulky item collection service for these items, which can save people the hassle of needing to load these large items into their vehicles.”

Information on all of Cheshire West and Chester’s HWRCs can be found here:

Find a recycling centre | Cheshire West and Chester Council

For more information on bulky item collection, visit:

Bulky items collection | Cheshire West and Chester Council